The Heroes Fall 1: When War Calls Read online

  THE HEROES FALL

  WHEN WAR CALLS

  Copyright © Zy J. Rykoa 2014

  Published at Smashwords

  MAPS

  World maps can be found at www.theheroesfall.com

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photocopying or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright owner (Zy Jay Rykoa).

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  For more information, please visit the official website.

  www.theheroesfall.com

  Chapters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter One

  One’s history defines so long as it is remembered.

  Date Unknown

  The world had ended.

  It was the first thought in Jaden’s mind as he woke in the chamber, deep beneath the surface of the Earth. He was not sure how something so terrible had happened, for all of life to be wiped off the face of the planet so suddenly, but he knew it had something to do with the very thing that had kept him alive. The energy. The power. The thing that he had come to know as the immortal essence.

  World War IV had been lost. Not by the World Protection Alliance, the Peace Movement or the United Resistance, but by every living thing, and worst of all, the people like him. He was one of the few who had found control over the mysterious energy that seemed to have consumed the planet. Jaden could still feel the power coursing through his veins. It had been up to him and the others to save the world, but they had failed, and only he remained. He felt a jolt of pain in his stomach as he remembered the violent volcanic eruptions, the massive waves from the ocean as the seafloor buckled dramatically, and the incredible heat as masses of the essence were unleashed upon the world, vaporising all in their path.

  It had been a tragic and brutal end to life, and there had been nothing he could do to stop it. He could only protect himself as he fell into this chamber and sealed it from the horrors above. He had run. He had hidden. And now he faced a fate worse than death; he was now in absolute solitude, without a hope or a dream, savouring the nothingness of existence without life.

  ‘I remember that feeling.’

  Jaden opened his eyes in surprise, as if he would see something in the darkness. He had heard a man speak. At first he thought it was a figment of his imagination, a sign of madness from his confined state, but it had been real. It was deep and comforting, a voice of a father to a son.

  ‘Who’s there?’ he asked.

  The man laughed, seemingly finding humour in Jaden’s startled state. ‘You may call me Michael,’ came the reply.

  Jaden looked around in the blackness. Before he had come here, before the world had ended, he would have called enough power to him to light this chamber, but after the damage it had caused, he feared even summoning enough of the essence to give a faint glow. He was sure he was not alone in this chamber, though. He wasn’t entirely convinced he was still sane, but the voice was definitely there, not just in his head.

  ‘How are you alive?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘The ability to manipulate matter is not exclusive to you,’ said the man.

  It was true. Jaden was powerful, but others could use the essence as well. Were there others that had survived by using the power? It was possible. They would be scattered around the world, but it was possible. But this brought up a new problem; he had been alone when he fell, so no other could have been near him. There was too much destruction. How was this man able to speak to him now in this chamber? Was he able to move through the rock as if it were air? Did he know how to teleport himself? It made no sense. By all logic this man could not have been here with him, and yet here he was.

  ‘How did you find me?’ asked Jaden.

  Again the man laughed. ‘I have been helping you since you first showed potential.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Many years ago when you were sixteen, still living in Callibra.’

  Home, thought Jaden. It was where he had been born, where he had last seen his family. The last moments of a simple life before war had beckoned him away. But the past was now in fragments. He could barely remember how he had left the village or where he went afterward. The years of trauma caused by the essence had taken their toll on him. He was but a shell of who he used to be.

  ‘I don’t remember you,’ said Jaden.

  ‘We have never met,’ said Michael, ‘but I have spoken to you more than once.’

  Jaden was thoughtful, searching deep into his memories. He recognised the riddle for what it was, and knew it could only have meant one thing.

  ‘The voice in the wind,’ he guessed.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I am the builder of the world you helped destroy.’

  Jaden paused, trying to make sense of this extremely confident and apparently illusive man. What did he mean by saying he had built the world? Was he upset that Jaden had helped destroy it? If he was, he did not show it. Why had he been watching over him, and how could he have watched over him without being seen?

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Jaden. ‘What do you want from me?’

  ‘It’s your time,’ said Michael.

  ‘My time for what?’

  ‘To succeed where I failed.’

  ‘You’re going to have to be more specific,’ said Jaden, sitting upright and holding his head up with his hands. ‘I can’t even remember my own failures.’

  Michael laughed. ‘Memory loss is normal after what you’ve been through, it’s quite remarkable that you remember anything at all. The power has a way of doing that to us. It’s why there are no records of World War III.’

  ‘What do you mean it’s normal?’

  ‘There have been others that have suffered this fate. I am one of them.’

  ‘What did you do?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘I almost died, but after I had recovered ... I rebuilt the world, which is what you will do soon.’

  Now Jaden had to laugh. ‘Me? I destroy worlds. I can’t rebuild them. It would take a billion years to undo the damage I have done. I wouldn’t even know where to begin! It’s just rock and water up there. I could put one rock on top of another rock and call it a castle if you like, but I don’t see how that’s going to help.’

  ‘On the journey of life, desire is your compass. To know where to begin, you must first want a destination.’

  ‘I don’t know what I want anymore,’ said Jaden with a sigh.

  ‘That is also normal. It is hard to want anything when you no longer have needs. You have become too powerful.’

  ‘Maybe, but one who can build a world would be more powerful than I am. So how do you still have desires?’

  ‘By recognising the needs of others.’

  ‘Everyone is gone,’ said Jaden, bluntly.

  ‘For now … yes. But once you have rebuilt the world, there will be life again,’ Michael explained, and for a second Jaden thought he heard something walk by him, something with padded feet, as if it were wearing cushions on its soles. When Michael spoke again, it was from another part of the chamber. ‘For there to be a desire, there needs to be a vision, and for there to be a vision, there need to be memories from which one can build.’

  ‘And if I don’t have any?’

  ‘Then I will remind you of your origin.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘As I mentioned,’ said Michael slowly, as if emphasising his next words as something Jaden needed to understand beyond all else. ‘I have been watching you since you first showed potential.’

  ‘How will I remember?’

  ‘You still wear a crystal around your neck. It was used to record much of your life and the events surrounding you, and then I had it given to you so that you could make better use of it. Some things you can't have known have been added to help you understand. I was afforded no such luxury in my time, but I knew you would need to see it all again someday.’

  Jaden picked up the crystal that hung from a silver chain around his neck, the faint blue glow inside of it still present after all these years. It had been a gift from someone very important to him, although he could not remember who. It was in a silver, diamond-shaped encasing, and while seeming weak, in all the battles he had fought it had never broken or left him. He realised then while studying it that it had been enriched with technology made from the immortal essence, its molec
ular structure modified to become a lot stronger than ordinary silver.

  ‘First you must see who you once were,’ Michael continued. ‘Before everything went wrong. Perhaps with the memories of the people you loved, you’ll remember the needs of others once more. I will show you your personal journey and all that you’ll need to see to understand how this happened.’

  Without another word spoken, Jaden lifted the crystal to between his eyes, just as he had done so many times before. He felt his mind propelled into its realm, where the stories of old would come to life, and his dreams would become a reality. He would watch all that Michael had to show him as an unseen presence, unfelt and unheard, a ghost in a world that no longer existed.

  Chapter Two

  Few moments are as temporary as paradise.

  7th January 997 R.E.

  Jaden watched patiently as lights materialised in the darkness of the crystal's realm; mountains, trees, clouds and buildings all flashing into existence. Michael was rebuilding a memory from long ago, one that Jaden had thought was lost. It was of his home, the village of Callibra; a tropical paradise hidden in a valley on the southern side of the Aurialis continent. The year was 997 R.E., nearly a thousand years since World War III had almost destroyed the planet, but the world he lived in was vastly different to the one his distant ancestors had known. Cerulean blue rings now encircled Earth and the shapes of the continents had changed dramatically. It was as if the world had transcended all of its prior natural beauty and wonder. A new calendar was set in place to usher in this new age of prosperity, marked with the initials “R.E.”, which stood for “Reborn Earth”.

  From the smallest village to the greatest metropolis, every civilisation flourished with the abundance that the planet boasted. But even before Jaden was born the seeds of the next world war had been planted. While many nations reaped the rewards of the blooming Earth, there were those that accused others of destroying the beauty and polluting what should have been sacred to them all. It was for this reason that the World Protection Alliance had been formed, an extreme environmentalist organisation adamant on their quest to protect the Earth against its polluters. They were an alliance of the only nations still intact on their continent, and with their superior military might, they challenged and bested all of their adversaries and became the reigning super power in just over a decade.

  After so many triumphs, they massed their armies to spread out across the lands and conquered three of the five continents, stopping only when they came up against the United Resistance, the second super power to rise. The Resistance was made of the strongest remaining nations of the continents Tiquan and Aurialis, which did not believe the planet was being polluted. They accused the World Protection Alliance of using their cause as nothing more than a justification of their greed, and argued that waging war against the world would do far more damage than another thousand years of using the planet’s resources. They were right, but not for the reasons they had thought, as even they did not realise what this world war would unleash.

  Despite its strength, the Resistance was forced to retreat mostly into the Aurialis continent; such was the power of the Alliance. A stalemate had been reached, with neither the Alliance nor Resistance able to gain any ground, or maintain it when they did. From 994 R.E. to 996 R.E. the two powerful armies exchanged blows, but all were futile. It seemed peace might resume, but the fourth world war was only just beginning, and Jaden would soon witness it firsthand.

  Jaden stopped thinking of the history when he saw himself sitting on a group of overlapping flat stones with his friends, enjoying the afternoon sunrays after a hard day’s work. This was his home, the village Callibra on the Aurialis continent, where he had first felt the power of the essence. It was an untouched paradise, hidden from the wars for decades. They lived a simple life, with little technology and great amounts of food, water and shelter. All of their primal needs were met, and with the company of others, none could have thought of a better place to live.

  Jaden let his mind quiet as he watched. From this moment on, he would allow Michael to show him what he needed to be shown. He felt regret knowing that all of this would disappear again once the visions had ended, but he could not resist living these moments one last time, and allowed himself to be one with the crystal’s realm; watching tentatively as his younger self and his friends appeared in the village.

  The five boys breathed in the summer heat, the fragrance of freshly blooming flowers and the distinct sense of the season filling their lungs. Birds were singing cheerfully, cheeps and chirps residing somewhere in the back of their minds, while the clang of steel against stone and the low gush of the waterfalls echoed throughout the valley. The sun was still high, coating the land in its boisterous yellow glow and almost hiding the grassy hills, thickets of vegetation and sandstone houses in its brightness.

  It was just another lazy afternoon for the five friends at their designated meeting place, which by no accident had been chosen because of how close it was to the stables, where the girls of the village tended to the horses. There wasn’t much for them to do here, aside from talk and lie about in the sun, so the girls being near was a must. It was a simple pleasure, but it suited them well enough. They couldn’t imagine a better way to pass the hours before nightfall, especially if there was a chance to share them with a certain someone from the stables.

  ‘She’s just there, Jay, go talk to her!’ said Bo, sitting up on one of the stones.

  ‘Soon,’ replied Jaden casually. He stretched back on the next stone, making a point to emphasise his movements to appear even lazier than they were. He knew Bo would be watching him for any sign of nerves. ‘It’s all in the timing,’ he added.

  Silence followed. Bo was hesitating. He hadn’t seen the sign of nerves he was expecting. Jaden felt relieved. He had learned long ago to hide the emotions he felt, primarily from Bo, or he’d need to prepare for weeks of continuous insults directed his way.

  ‘He’s scared,’ said Bo finally, receiving a nod from Konnor, the young man to his left.

  The others laughed, but Jaden still refused to react, his eyes now closed as if he were about to go to sleep. It was rare for him to have a free moment in these times; whether training for sport matches, working in the fields or helping others with odd jobs around the place, it seemed he was always needed somewhere. And now that he was able to relax, he refused to let it slip by for the sake of Bo’s amusement.

  Still, he couldn’t help but wonder at Bo’s intent. It was as if he were one of the few that were not content simply to live in the tropical paradise that was Callibra, always needing something extra, something more exciting. Few of those lucky enough to visit the village wished to leave afterward; enchanted by the beauty of the lush greens and dark rocks exclusive to the area. There was not a more perfect place on Earth, and yet when Jaden just wanted to enjoy the surroundings, Bo was always distracted. The mountains that cradled their home to create the Callibrian valley meaning nothing to him, the waterfalls crashing down over rocks into small swimming pools of little appeal, and the people apparently quite boring.

  That explained why he spent most of his time teasing them, Jaden mused, but the rest remained an enigma Bo would refuse to ever shed any light on.

  ‘You’re going to miss your chance if you wait any longer,’ said one of the others.

  Jaden opened his eyes to see Dion leaning against a stone on his right. At seventeen, Dion was the oldest by one year and tallest of the group, but also the quietest. It had startled Jaden to hear him speak, expecting a stranger to be standing next to him. But there was no mistaking the dignified confidence that Dion brought to conversations, no matter how minor his role might have been.

  ‘That’s what he’s timing for,’ Bo smirked.

  Following the direction of Dion’s eyes and ignoring Bo, Jaden looked to the stables and saw that Dion was right. Jaden was about to miss his chance. Alyssa, the only girl in the village who had been able to really capture his attention, was getting ready for her daily ride. He had to hurry.